Meet José de Jesús (IX), Prep’s First Alum to Become Head of an Independent School

5/15/2020

José de Jesús (IX/Horace Mann '93, Wesleyan '97) MA, Tufts '07; MA, Teachers College '10 is set to complete his first year as Head of School at Lake Forest Academy this summer. Prep for Prep had a chance to speak with José about his role in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

José is the first alum to become the head of an independent school. Before arriving at Lake Forest Academy (LFA), he served as the Head of Upper School and a history teacher at The Packer Collegiate Institute. José has a long history of service in independent schools, with previous roles at Concord Academy, Poly Prep Country Day School, and The Spence School.

How did your time at Prep for Prep influence how you approach your position as Head of School at Lake Forest Academy?

The Prep experience replicated very well what the independent school experience would be like and what learning could be like. It could be creative, there was that culture, and it set high expectations for all of us. I remember how our history teacher Mr. Roth brought his full self into the classroom and got a sense of us as people. He put his intellectual curiosity, care, and creativity in his teaching, and taught me what could be possible in a learning environment. If you had told me I would be a headmaster, which is what they called it back then, I would have said no, I’m going to stick to being a teacher. But that environment still manifests at the administration level.

I was really lucky to see teachers who pushed the boundaries. I would look around the classroom and be humbled. These Prep students are so special and talented. I tell my students, if you’re the smartest, most talented person in the room, get out of the room. You want to be challenged, and Prep set a high standard. The racist tropes that I heard growing up that black and brown people are lazy or aren’t smart, I had the counter-narrative which was powerful in my identity formation as well.

Many schools are moving classes online and finding alternative ways of teaching. How is LFA responding to these changes? Do you feel that the way institutions approach teaching in general will permanently change in future years?

I don’t see how this isn’t going to impact education, the way that culture will be impacted as well. At LFA, we switched to e-learning for the rest of the year and we did that pretty early on because we’re a half day, half boarding school. We went from in-person classes to building a new school basically. We had to take a step back and decide what matters most. What is learning fundamentally? And we came up with the three C’s which are care, curriculum, and community.

Some of those decisions we made got us thinking about what is core for our school. That includes the mental health of our students. And honestly, for me, I’m thinking about physical activity more than I ever have in my life! The importance of being empathetic and checking on each other has shifted how we manage school. We dropped finals and the sky didn’t fall. I’m not saying we’re dropping finals permanently, but it’s forced us to take stock, reflect, and make choices that I hope transfer when this is all over.

There have been benefits to these changes. For example, parent meetings used to be a combination of virtual and in-person for parents who live in the area. Now that they are all virtual, parent attendance has quadrupled. Online learning will keep developing and increasing accessibility. Education is being pushed to innovate and we have to ask, how can we broaden our reach?

In a 2019 interview with LFA’s The Spectator, you spoke to the divisions felt within the U.S. and abroad. In a crisis such as this pandemic, those divisions can worsen. In a community like LFA, how have you been maintaining a sense of community and cooperation?

As is always the case, we’ve had to engage moments of challenge. LFA is a very diverse school which is what makes it so great, but that comes with challenges. LFA emphasizes the notion of dialogue and identifying the skills attached to that even before the crisis. And that expectation hasn’t changed. We remind our students that they are still citizens of Lake Forest Academy even in the virtual space.

Our affinity groups and organizations still find ways to meet, and we really value continuing to create those spaces for the students. And I share as many narratives as I can. I had a Chinese student in mandatory quarantine in China who sent me a message that said ‘I'm sending 3,000 masks for Lake Forest Academy and hospitals nearby.’ I share those narratives to emphasize the power of community and inclusivity. You’re not just caring for people that look like you. So we’ve found ways to gather as a smaller group, but it is tough to navigate.

You’ve discussed in various interviews about your love of music and your eclectic taste. What artists, albums, or songs are keeping you focused and motivated?

I’ve completely immersed myself in music. It’s a way for me to focus. I’ve mainly been creating playlists and sharing them with friends. My most recent playlist was of favorite final songs on albums. Then I had to think, what would the last song on my last songs playlist be? (Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones). Right now I’m making a 90s hip hop playlist.

What would you like your faculty, staff, and students to remember as they near the end of a unique and challenging semester?

I hope they’re making an effort to care for themselves, their family, and each other. I hope we dig a little deeper into the importance of care at Lake Forest Academy and as individuals.

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